Diving apparatus



, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. SMITH, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

DIVING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,753, dated August 22, 1893.

Application filed October 10, 1892. Serial No. 448,304. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, GEORGE W. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Diving Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in diving apparatus and consists in the matters hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention :Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a diving apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention being taken on line 1--1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the same taken on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on line 4-4: of Fig. 3.

In said drawings:-A represents a suitable shell, which may be made of any preferred shape, but it is preferably made of substantially cylindric form in order to enable it to withstand heavy external pressure. .A man hole A is provided in the top of the shell and is closed by a downwardly seated cover A which is held in engagement with said seat by a bolt or passed through a yoke a upon the inside of the shell, and said cover A A hand nut a is provided upon the inner end of the bolt (1 and another nut upon the outer end of said bolt by the removal of either of which, the cover A may be unfastened to permit of the removal of the manhole cover by a person either outside or inside of the shell.

Suitable bulls eyes B B are provided in the side Walls of the shell at convenient points to enable an occupant to look therefrom in any desired direction.

Air induction and eduction pipes O and C respectively communicate with the interior of the shell A and lead to any suitable source of air supply.

At the sides of the shell, are provided one or more pendulous legs D, rigidly secured to the outer ends of rock shafts d which extend inward through stuffing boxes D D in the the outside of the shell and are arranged in sliding engagement therewith, these legs being engaged with suitable guides e e. Suitable rack teeth are provided upon the legs E E and pinions E E are mounted on the outer ends of shafts e e journaled within stuffing boxes e e in the walls of the shell A. Cranks boxes e e for holding said shafts and legs in their adjusted positions. Feet E E are provided upon the lower ends of the legs E E and are adapted for engagement with the ground. By this construction, the occupants of the shell, when the apparatus is at the bottom, may, by adjusting the several legs E E, bring the feet E E at their lower ends into engagement with the bottom and adjust them so as to level the shell A in an obvious manner.

A weight F of a size sufficient to sink the shell, is detachably secured to the bottom thereof in any desired manner, as for instance, as shown in the drawings, Fig. 1, in which a ball f is provided upon the upper side of the said weight and is arranged to engage with a socket F comprising two jaws hinged or jointed together upon the inside of a stuffing box or gland F Any desired means may be provided for operating these jaws to grasp or release the ball f, as the arms f f extending to the inside of the shell A and adapted for adjustment by means of a screw f A rope or cable G is preferably connected at g with the bottom of the shell and at its other end is operatively connected at g with the weight. By this construction, the weight may be released opening the jaws of the socket F, the

ICO

An "electrical ssignalin g device; such as :*a telephone'H is located within' the shell, the circuit wires thereof being conveniently carried through the air tube 0, and leading to a- 5 corresponding, instrument at the surface of the water. Similarly,a suitable electriclampj I is provided within the shell and the circuit wires thereof are conveniently carried through the other air tube C, a refiector-Ibeing loca'ted back of the lamp and said lamp being arranged at theinside of one of the bulls eyes as shown.

A cylinder J is arranged-vertically Within the shell A and a piston J'- is arranged to.

.move vertically .therein and to slide v.erticallyina suitable .gland or stuffing box 3" in; thetop of :thes'h'ell A. At the upper end of this 'piston IJ ,;is pro.vided .artransverse. guide 3 within which abeantK'is arranged to slide.

. Arrack k .is'convenientlyprovided upon said beam. and a,shaftiLextends"vertically within the pistomrod ..l' .(which is made tubular for this. purposela-nd carries .at'its upper end, a ,pinion'I/ :meslii-ng with the rack k. At or nearitheiloweriend of the shaftL; is provided v aiworln wheelIL and aworm L? is .journaled =1 in" suitable bearin gson the piston rod J and tmeshes with saidworm wheel. .A lever Jiis secured .totthe -p'iston rod 'J. and serves as a :means dbrotatingitto bring the'beamKiinto any desired position.

.A pumpTM"isprovided and isarranged Zto; communicate withihe cylinder to en-able'thei operator ltoiforce-water 'into'the cylinder ,toi raisesthe piston when desired. f .Bytthe described construction, .the piston? J' wi'th..the",beam'K. maybe raised orjlowered} =-at will andby an operation o'f'theworm L to rotatefltheshaftiL, the pinion L maybe op-i ,erated'to-exten'd orretract thelbeamf K, while; Tbymeansof 'thelever J3, the ,piston may be swung round so asttor give; any desiredidirec tion .toLsaidibeam. This .piston and beam; form together: a. crane, designed to Lcarryany. desired tools'lfor grapplingor hoisting pur- .,th'e.w'all.of the. shell A, suitable stuffing boxes cor, glands, through which .are passed sliding arms provided .upon their outer ends, with rsuitable-jawsradapted to. gr-asp and manipu-f late. any desired 'itools for handling articles .upontheoutside of .the shell. These manipuilatingappliancesmay bemade of ganyvdesired F .oriconvenienttconstruction,but Ifind it con- ,poses. I; also provide atconvenientpoints-in;

q, and at its inner end provided with an operating handle q, this arm having a sliding engagement @within a stufting *box or gland. uponthe-insideofea ball Q which is revolubly engaged within a second stufling box (1 in the wall of the shell A. A longitudinally movable rod "Rislocate'd' within "the farm Q and carries atits outeren'da'jawr arranged to .oppose the jaw q,"said rod'extendinginward 'througlra' stuffing biox r"inf.the' inner end of the arm Q and engaged with a ihand ut-r maybe swunginto'any desired 'p'ositiojnwith respect to .the shell Abyreason of thefballandsocket joint betwe'en said :arm and the Any means maybe provided .for counter balancing: the;pressure ofthe water uponithe router ends of 'thearms'Oxan'dfQgsuch for instance as illustrated'inFi-gi'l, of thie drawings cord- 8' is engaged with saidcollar'and p'assed over'a suitable pulleys and attachedfto'a :counterpoise weights? Byithisarranggement, the manipulators willbe in a condition of equilibrium and may be readily operated as desired by thefoccupautxofthe'shell A.

i In operating myimproved.apparatuathe user enters theshell: and @then securesthe' 'manlhole cover in placeJ-and"theaweightibeing secured; to the ishellas shown, theappa .ratusis lowere'd'kinto' thewaterptheair pipes 'being'paid out as .the fdevioe'descends, until the bottom is reached. By the describedoperation of the adjusting .legsf'the ;operat0r maymove the deviceinto "the desired';posi- 'tion, when'it' inayl'beleveled'in the *manner described, by means of *the "vertically movable legs. bottomthe shell maybe rotated aboutits ball and socket connection ftherewithin :an obvious" manner. "When the desired position When the weight 'restssupomthe.

has been reached,"the :QPGIfiBOIYHlEQYfDj ill operatiomof the manipulators in; theimanner described, grasp any suitableggrapplingcor hoisting tools that may be lowered intdthe water'and'attaclr them toarticlesto be raised,

or may lift small articlesand deposit them in a net or other receiver that maybelowered.

When heavy objects are to begmoved,.they maybe handled in "an 'obvi'ousmanner by V means of .the"crane,ffrom'which *any' desired lifting;orgrappling'tool m'ay'fbe suspended.

By the use of the 'telep'honeor other signaling instrument, communication may be constantly had between the occupant of the shell A and a party at the surface of the water.

When it is desired for any reason, to rise to the surface, the occupant of the shell may cause the apparatus to float to the surface, by disconnecting the same from the weight as described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. A diving apparatus comprising a suitable shell or casing provided with air induction and eduction pipes, a weight for sinking said shell or casing and provided upon its upper side with an upwardly extending stud, a clamp upon the under side of the bottom of the shell or casing and adapted for detachable engagement with said stud, and suitable mechanism extending through the bottom 0 the shell or casing for actuating said clamp to grasp or release said stud, substantially as set forth.

2. A diving apparatus comprising a suitable shell or casing provided with air induction and eduction pipes, a Weight for sinking said shell or casing and provided upon its upper side with an upwardly extending stud, carrying a ball at its upper end, a pair of jaws each provided with a half socket and adapted for engagement with said ball, arms secured to said jaws and extending through the bottom of the'shell or casing and pivotally supported therein, and suitable means within the shell or casing for adjusting said arms and the connected jaws to grasp or release said ball, substantially as set forth.

3. A diving apparatus comprising a suitable shell or casing, a weight for sinking said shell or casing, a detachable ball-and-socket connection between said shell or casing and said weight, suitable means upon the inside of the shell or casing for freeing said weight, suitable legs adj ustably engaged with the outside of the shell or casing and adapted for engagement with the ground outside of the same, shafts journaled in the side walls of the shell or casing and having rack-and-pinion engagement with said legs, and crank arms engaged with the inner ends of said shafts for rotating the same to adjust the legs vertically to level the shell or casing, substantially as set forth.

4. A diving apparatus comprising a suitable shell or casing, a weight for sinking the same, detachably pivoted to the bottom thereof, a plurality of'shafts journaled in the side walls of said shell or casing, vertically ad ustable legs upon the outside of the shell or casing adapted for engagement with the ground and having rackandpinion engagements with certain of said shafts, other legs having rigid engagement with the outer ends of the other shafts, and adapted for engagement with the ground, and suitable crank arms upon the inner ends of said shafts for rotating the same to effect a desired movement of either set of legs to level said shell or casing or to adjust it to a desired position, substantially as set forth. 7 L

5. A diving apparatus comprising a 51111]; able shell or casing having suitable bulls eyes in its side walls, a weight detachably secured thereto, means for adjusting said shell or casing upon the bottom, one or more tubular arms movably engaged with water tight bearings in the side walls of the shell or casing and each carrying a rigid jaw at its outer end, suitable rods or bars having sliding engagement within said tubular arms and each carrying at its outer end, a jaw opposed to the first mentioned jaw, suitable locking devices upon the inner ends of said armsfor securing said rods or bars in their adjusted positions with respect to said tubular arms, and suitable counterbalance weights operatively connected with the inner ends of said arms, for counteracting the inward pressure of the water upon said arms, substantially as set forth.

6. A diving apparatus comprising ashell or casing having suitable bulls eyes in its side walls, a weight detachably secured thereto, a vertically movable standard extending upward through the top of the shell or cas ng and carrying a horizontal beam, means wlthin the shell or casing for adjusting said beam horizontally, and suitable means for rotating said standard, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. SMITH.

Witnesses:

JOHN E. WILEs, H. G. UNDERWOOD. 

